Nowhere to Hide
by Red Talon
Summary: When Dick Grayson takes up the mantle of the Batman, Bane returns from his home country of Santa Prisca in order to challenge the new Caped Crusader. But when Bane's activities stir up an even greater threat, The Bat Family must form an alliance with some of Gotham's most dangerous criminals to stand a chance against the growing calamity. *T for violence and minor language*
1. Chapter 1

_Hello, everyone! I'm so excited to finally begin posting my latest story, Nowhere to Hide. This story takes place after the events of Nowhere to Fall. So, if you're new to my Nowhere-verse series, you'll want to read Nowhere to Climb, then Nowhere to Fall, and then you can begin this one, Nowhere to Hide._

_As usual, I will be posting every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, usually in the evening. I would like to thank you all for your support of the storyline. I look forward to hearing your thoughts!_

* * *

_THE IMPOSTER WILL BE BROKEN_

Gazing in disbelief at the chilling ultimatum, Dick began to feel the sweat trailing from his forehead beneath the mask of the Batman.

"Oh, shit," Jason said with a sarcastic grin. "You're dead, Batboy."

"Shut up, Jason," Barbara ordered.

Jason turned to Barbara with an angry look in his eyes, about to say something he'd regret but was stopped when Dick started to yell.

"Guys! Come on! We've got work to do." he said, taking charge.

"Master Richard is right," Alfred proclaimed. "We must get to work on rescuing Mr. Nygma. If Bane learns the locations of the generators, who knows what damage could be done?"

"Agreed, Pennyworth," Damian said with the usual scowl on his face.

"Alright, guys," Dick said, pulling the mask off his head. "Prep for a Level 3. Bane's men are highly trained and extremely loyal. And Alfred? Try and fix the computer."

After approximately 20 minutes, the heroes returned to the Batcomputer, now armed with gadgets and weapons appropriate for the task ahead.

"Master Richard, the Batcomputer is now operational," Alfred said.

"Thanks, Alfred," he replied gratefully.

Just moments after the Batcomputer was back online, a blaring alarm sounded throughout the cave.

Alfred turned to the monitor and read the alert, his face filling with shock and worry.

"Master, Richard! Bane and his men are attacking the GCPD Headquarters!"

"Alright, everyone," Dick said, sliding his mask over the top of his head. "It's go time."

Within the next 10 minutes, the Bat Family had arrived at the GCPD Headquarters. Batman sprinted through a giant hole in the wall of the building and his team followed. Once inside, Batman and his allies surveyed the dark room. The lights had been shot, causing them to blink occasionally, but leaving the building mostly black, the doors were all broken down, and many of the brave officers of the Gotham Police Department lay in puddles of their own blood.

"From the left," Robin whispered looking at a doorway. The heroes clung to the shadows and waited for the 7 men to come into the center of the room -just where they wanted them.

"Alright, amigos," one of Bane's followers began. "Bane needs us to guard this room. No one in or out. He and his associate need time with the computers."

Before any of them could utter another word, Batgirl sprung from the dark corner and landed on top of a tall mercenary, clad in black combat armor, with a leather balaclava concealing his face. Violently forcing him into the floor, Batgirl leapt off of the now unconscious body and vaulted over a second goon pushing him toward Red Hood who emerged from the shadows, his helmet glistening in the dim glow of the broken light fixtures. Red Hood drew his handguns and shot the mercenary in both kneecaps, sending him screaming to the ground, writhing in agony.

While the 5 remaining enemies watch in horror as their friend tossed in pain, Red Robin and Batman dropped from their hiding places atop the broken light fixtures and each landed on 2 men, forcing them to slam into the ground. The sole remaining man dropped his machine gun and raised his arms in surrender. Robin rushed toward him and pinned him to the wall of a cubicle, his back hitting the wall with painful force.

"What is Bane doing here?" he asked him.

The grunt, shaking in fear, struggled to escape Robin's hold.

"Tell me," Robin said, "or lose your teeth."

"I will not betray my master," the man hissed.

Robin, used his free hand to grab the man by his black, tousled hair. He released him from the hold, spun him around to face the cubicle wall, and forced his face into it.

As the unconscious thug slid to the floor, Robin sighed.

"Only one way to get an answer now," he said.

As the team progressed through the building, Bane stood in the evidence locker accompanied by 10 soldiers. To his left, stood a tall man dressed in dark green slacks with black suspenders trailing over a white button-down shirt. The lenses of his glasses glinted in the light of the monitors before him. He carefully surveyed the computer before him. Running his fingers through his thick, brown hair, he said, "This is all I need, Bane. I can begin work immediately once we return to the ship.

"Very well, Kuttler." Bane waved a hand toward the computer and his men scurried to it. Each man carried a component of the massive computer system- a monitor, a hard drive. Bane ordered them to stand near the doorway on the opposite side of the room. The loyal mercenaries did as they were told and watched in awe as Bane spun the dial on his wrist. Almost immediately, a glowing green toxin streamed through his veins, shining beneath his flesh. His muscles expanding, he forced his hands straight through the brick wall of the evidence room, causing the once sturdy boundary to crumble to pieces. Bane and his associates, walked out of the building onto the city streets through the newly formed doorway and, once their transport had arrived, climbed aboard and left the scene.

Back in the building, Batman and his allies had just fought through another group of mercenaries. Arriving at the evidence room, Batman was saddened at the realization that he had failed. Bane had escaped.

"Look around," Batman ordered. "Find out what he took."

After several moments of scuffling, Red Robin spoke. "Night- um, Batman? He took Riddler's computer."

"Damn it!" Batman shouted.

"What are we going to do?" Barbara asked.

"I guess it's up to you, boss," Jason said, turning to face Dick.

"We can't risk waiting any longer. I hoped we would've had time to prepare but now that Bane has the data, it's only a matter of time before he finds the generators," Batman said. "I know it won't be easy, but we've got to attack Bane's ship. We've got to be there within the hour if we want any chance of stopping him."


	2. Chapter 2

The full, white moon shone upon the roughly tossing waters surrounding Arkham Island, illuminating the dark depths with a peaceful glow, masking the waters' dangerous currents with the beauty of white light.

"I hope, for your sake, that you've made considerable progress, Kuttler."

"Yes, Bane," he replied. "I have."

"So you have discovered the location of the generators?"

"Almost. There is only one file that I haven't yet decrypted. If it's on this computer, it's in that file. Although, I am beginning to doubt whether or not the earthquake generators truly exist."

"What do you mean?"

"I've found research that Nygma did on Lex Luthor."

"And..?"

"He watched dozens upon dozens of videos and copied Luthor's voice. It's as if he wanted to create a false phone call."

"Keep looking, Kuttler. We haven't long before the little heroes arrive."

"Yes, sir."

Bane strolled out of the dark room, leaving the man alone with the Riddler's computer system.

"Hm," the man muttered to himself. "If the algorithm began at 35,879,738…"

As the man typed, attempting to penetrate the Riddler's near-impenetrable firewall, the screen of every monitor turned to a dark shade of blue and displayed in bold ref lettering, EYE AM WATCHING YOU.

"Ha," the man chuckled. "Very cute, Nygma, but that little message won't protect these files any more than your firewall did."

The man overrode the message on the monitors and opened the file.

"What?!" The man shouted in anger and frustration. "There's nothing here!"

Alfred's voice sounded from everyone's communicator.

"Robin?"

"Prepared," he said.

"Batgirl?"

"Check."

"Red Robin?"

"Check."

"Red Hood?"

"Yeah, yeah."

"Batman?"

"Copy. Thanks, Alfred."

"Of course, sir. Remember the plan. While Batgirl and Red Hood are distracting the hostiles, Damian and Timothy will infiltrate the security room, where Nygma's computer is being held."

"And I rescue the Riddler from the medical bay, I remember."

"Very well, sir. Good luck."

The communicator clicked as Alfred severed the connection.

I climbed through and open porthole and crept past two sleeping guards.

On the other side of the ship, Damian and Tim clung to the shadows and hid as the man left Nygma's computer in search of his boss, still grumbling in frustration.

After the man had left, Robin quietly slid open the door to the security room and entered with Red Robin close behind. Tim sat at the computer and inserted a large hard drive, uploading a virus to the system. Once the virus had uploaded itself, Tim pulled the hard drive out of the computer and handed it to Damian.

"Get this back to the cave, immediately," he ordered. "I just pulled everything in the open file and put it on this hard drive."

"Understood," Damian said with a nod. Then, he left the room and sprinted down the hall toward the main deck.

"Batman, come in."

"What do you need, Red?"

"Robin just left for the cave. He has a hard drive with some of Nygma's data."

"Why'd he leave alone?"

"We couldn't risk that hard drive falling into enemy hands. The data I put onto it was a ghost file. Kuttler didn't know it was there, which means, we know something he doesn't. Let's keep it that way."

"You got it, Red. Batman out."

Dick shimmied along the wall of the medical bay and waited for the room to clear. Once the room was empty, he dropped from the second level and landed next to the surgery table.

Nygma, his clothes stained with blood, lay unconscious on the table.

Batman heard a voice from outside the door. Bane.

"Step aside, fool. I must ensure that our hostage is still there."

"He is, Bane. We just left him on the table, as you ordered."

"You question me?"

"No, sir," the man said, is voice shaking.

"Then, I repeat. Step aside."

Batman quickly lifted the Riddler over his shoulder and shot his grappling hook to the second level of the medical bay.

As Bane forced the door open, Batman exited through an open porthole and took Nygma with him.

Bane howled in rage and Batman heard the faint cracking of necks as the angered villain executed the men who had failed him.

"Alfred!" Batman said. "I need the boat! Now!"

"It's on its way now, sir. It should stop just beneath you shortly."

"I see it, Alfred. Open it up, I'm dropping in."

"Certainly, sir."

As the sleek, black hatch slid forward, opening the cockpit of the slender, glimmering boat, Batman leapt off of the deck and fell toward the water, landing in the boat, being careful not to harm the still unconscious Riddler.

"I'm in the boat, Alfred. How's the rest of the family doing?"

"Red Robin just finished deactivating the computer. He'll be there shortly. The others are on the bow."

"Alright. I'll wait for Tim to get here, and then I'll go after them."

"No need, sir. They are nearly on their way.

"What about Robin?"

"Master Damian is en route to the Batcave as we speak.

Across the boat, Jason fired his handguns at the small army of men that had captured Barbara. As the men all fell to the ground, Red Hood ran toward Barbara and pulled the ropes off of her.

"Jason!" she shouted, her voice laced with disgust.

"Kneecaps," he replied calmly.

"So, you didn't kill any of them?"

"Um, sure."

The two ran to the boat and leapt in.

"We ready?" Batman asked?

"Yup," muttered Jason.

"Good," Batman said. "Mission: Success."


	3. Chapter 3

Bane's men stood shoulder to shoulder, awaiting instruction from their master.

Bane spoke, his voice booming over the sounds of the creaking ship and the tossing water outside.

"You have failed me. I am ashamed."

One of the men stepped forward and began to speak.

"Forgive us, Bane. The Batman was-"

The man choked on his words as Bane stepped forward and, towering over him, grabbed the man's head in his palm and cracked open his skull.

The man fell to the ground, lifeless and blood-covered.

Bane stepped back and wiped the blood from his hands.

"That was not the Batman. He was an imposter. A coward hiding behind the name of my greatest opponent. And we will crush him for his insolence."

The men cheered and raised their fists in the air.

"Bird! Bring out the prisoner!" Bane shouted.

Bane's loyal lieutenant entered the room, dragging Robin behind him.

The battered hero struggled valiantly against his iron bonds but couldn't break free of the chains wrapped tightly around him.

Robin yelled at the jeering criminals but his speech was muffled by the white cloth being used as a gag.

"The imposter will come to me, or his compatriot will die!"

The men yelled in excitement and anticipation of the fight to come.

Across the city, beneath Wayne Manor, an entirely different yelling rang throughout the dank cavern.

"How could you let that happen?!" Dick angrily pulled off his mask, cape, and cowl and tossed them aside.

"I'm sorry!" Tim cried. "I made a bad call! Yelling in a goddamn cave won't help Damian."

"Fine!" Dick replied. "Barbara, Jason, and I will go back."

"Master Tim, Richard, please!" Alfred cried.

"Without me? Bruce would never make a call like that!"

"Bruce," Dick yelled, "would never send someone out alone!"

"Maybe not you, Dick! But we couldn't all be his favorite!"

Dick boiled with anger. He felt the heat rise until it could no longer be contained. He lunged at Tim, his knee meeting Tim's chest in a shattering collision.

"Guys, stop it!" Barbara screamed.

Tim stumbled backward and quickly regained his balance before leaping through the air, sending his foot crashing into Dick's face.

Landing on the floor in front of his brother, Tim steadied his breath and felt shame.

He looked down at his brother's face, from his glowing blue eyes, to the crimson blood streaming from his nose.

"I'm sorry."

Dick rose to his feet. "Me too."

The two wrapped their arms around each other and cried.

"Come on, Tim. We've got to help Damian."

The brothers pulled apart and wiped their faces.

"Alright," Tim said. "But I need a few minutes to encrypt the boat's stealth system again. We can't use the same system or Bane's radar could see right through our cloaking tech."

"Alright, Tim. I'll go check on Nygma."

Dick slowly strolled to the medical bay where the Riddler's still unconscious body was handcuffed to the operating table.

Before having time to think, Alfred yelled in a panic.

"Master Richard! Come quickly!"

The heroes ran toward Alfred, who stood in front of the Batcomputer.

"What is it, Al?" Jason asked.

"The local news broadcast has been interrupted. It's Bane, sir."

Bane's image appeared on the monitor, replacing the smiling face of Vicki Vale.

"Batman. You will meet me tonight. I would like to propose a trade. Ignore my request, and innocent blood will be spilt. Come alone. We will meet where he was born."

The transmission ended and everyone looked toward Dick.

"Tim, call Gordon. Keep him and his men away. Barb, Jason, monitor Bane's ship for activity. Don't engage, just report."

"Got it," Barbara said.

"Master Richard, be careful," Alfred said.

Dick smiled as he picked up the rest of his costume and pulled it on. "Sure thing, Alfred."

The cool air cut through the dark alley like a bullet slicing through warm flesh.

Bane stood gazing down at the two chalk outlines drawn onto the grimy cobblestone.

Without looking up at Batman, who knelt atop a nearby building scanning for signs of an ambush, Bane spoke.

"I came alone, Mr. Grayson. I trust you did the same."

Batman dropped to the ground before Bane and pulled off his mask.

"So this," Bane began, "is the fabled Crime Alley."

"What do you want, Bane?"

"A simple trade. And I will return your comrade to you unharmed."

"What's in it for you?"

"I want his body."


	4. Chapter 4

"Nygma's in a coma, Bane. He needs to be kept on life support."

"You misunderstand. I want 'his' body."

Dick nearly stumbled backward in shock.

Quickly collecting himself, he looked Bane in the eye and said, "I will discuss this with my team and meet you here in two hours."

"Are you, or are you not, their leader? You do not command their respect?"

Dick ignored the question. "We don't have his body, Bane. Nygma took it."

"I am aware. I will require him as well. You give the Riddler to me and allow me to take the Dark Knight's body, and I will return your sidekick to you."

Then, a voice sounded from the rooftop of a nearby building. Dick slid his mask over his head, concealing his identity.

"Or, Bane," the voice said. "I return of my own free will."

The figure leaped off the roof to the ground next to Batman.

As he fell into the light from the nearby lampposts, Batman smiled with relief and Bane scowled in anger.

"Robin!" Batman shouted.

Dick reached into the front pocket of his utility belt and pulled out three smoke pellets.

He threw them to the ground at Bane's feet. A heavy, gray cloud of smoke rose from the ground, consuming Bane in fog.

"Let's go!" Robin said, pulling his grappling hook from the back of his belt.

Batman did the same and both heroes shot their grapnel guns at the rooftop above them and rose into the night sky.

As the heroes glided off, Bane stepped out of the smoke and shouted in rage.

"I will destroy you, imposter! Nowhere is safe! Nowhere!"

Back at the Batcave, Damian sat in a chair as Alfred bandaged his wounds. His siblings stood around him.

"How'd you escape?" Barbara asked.

"I waited for a break in security. Once the guard shift had changed, I dislocated my shoulders and wrists to slide out of the chains."

"Damn. You're the most kick-ass as 1st grader I know," Jason teased with a smirk.

Damian glared at Jason, his eyes as hot as a flame, and the smirk fell from Jason's face.

Tim stepped forward, solemn and guilt ridden. "I'm sorry, Damian. I made a bad call."

"Damian looked up at Tim and said, "It's alright, Drake. It was I who failed. Your plan was fine."

Damian's eyes suddenly dropped to the floor. "But," he said, "the hard drive was taken from me. Bane can now access the files that were locked on Nygma's computer.

"That's alright, Damian," Dick said with a smile. "We'll stop him."

"I suggest we all take the day off to rest," Alfred said. "From the attack on the ship last night, all the way up to this moment, it's been a long night for all of us."

The heroes all ascended into the mansion without speaking. Each silently split off to go to their bedrooms on opposite sides of each hallway.

Jason lay on his bed, smoking a cigarette. He watched as the smoke escaped his mouth, circled around his head and dissipated against the high ceiling.

Tim pulled the sheets over his warm, muscular body and drifted off into a deep sleep.

Damian paced around his bedroom floor, pondering Bane's next move.

Dick sat on the end of his bed, the events of the last few weeks running through his mind.

"I'm the Batman," he thought to himself. "I can't do this."

Dick's contemplation was interrupted by a quiet shuffling sound at his doorway.

"Dick?" Barbara's voice sounded from behind the closed door.

"Come on in," Dick replied.

Barbara slowly entered, her pink T-shirt barely covering her thighs.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

"I'm fine."

"You just haven't been yourself lately."

"I just need to be alone.

"Okay. But, are you sure you're alright?"

Dick rose from his bed and stood before her.

He laid his head on her shoulder embraced her.

He tried desperately to repress the incoming tears.

"No," he said.


	5. Chapter 5

"The day flew by faster than a speeding bullet," Dick said.

"It certainly has, sir," Alfred replied. "An average life without capes and crusades is surprisingly fulfilling, isn't it?"

"Ha. I'll say."

"While I'm here, Master Richard… What may I prepare you for dinner?"

"I'll skip it, Alfred. Thanks."

"My pleasure, sir."

Alfred strolled out of Dick's bedroom, leaving him alone.

Shortly after, Tim leapt into the doorway, frantic and flustered.

"We're under attack!" he said. "Bane's brought at least 40 guys!"

"To the cave! Hurry!"

The two boys ran down to the wine cellar and through the hidden passage in the tasting room. After meeting with the other heroes in the Batcave's armory and donning their costumes, they returned to the manor.

"Alfred! Get to the cave! Lock all the files! We can't risk Bane getting them!" Dick shouted.

"Straight away, sir!"

The heroes took their positions in the main hall of the mansion, just waiting for Bane's men to break through the door.

"Hold your ground!" Dick said, sliding the dark mask of the Batman over his face. "Don't let them into the cave!"

Moments later, the front door of the mansion burst open and mercenaries flooded the hall.

Behind them, Bane march in, surveying the room.

"Find the heroes," he ordered.

As the criminals treaded further into the hall, the heroes all launched smoke pellets and leapt into the fog in a flurry of batarangs and kicks.

Over half of the mercenaries fell unconscious before the smoke finally dissipated.

Once the smoke had cleared, Batman looked around.

"Where's Bane?" he asked, still fighting.

None of the other heroes saw him.

Batman was hit by a jolt of fear.

"Alfred! No!"

Batman sprinted to the library, the location of the nearest Batcave entranced.

Upon entering the room, Batman saw the bookshelf that once hid the secret elevator had been ripped off and tossed aside onto the floor.

He climbed into the elevator and as it slid closed, Jason leapt through the doors to help him.

"I'm with you, Tweety. The others will hold back the mercs."

The elevator descended into the Batcave.

When the doors opened, Batman and Red Hood sprung out, launching batarangs and shooting bullets.

Several goons fell and the others ran toward the heroes.

"Kill the imposter!" Bane shouted as he ran down the hall toward the medical bay, leaving the fight to his men.

"He's going for Nygma!" Jason yelled. "I'll get him!"

"Red Hood! Wait!"

Jason had already begun sprinting toward Bane, his handguns drawn.

He fired several bullets into Bane's back, barely even drawing blood.

Bane turned around and bounded down the narrow hallway toward Red Hood.

Jason kept firing bullets into Bane's chest.

Bane grunted in pain and kept charging in spite of it.

Bane grabbed Jason's leg and swung him into the ceiling.

The light fixture shattered as Jason's torso was thrust into it.

Bane then pulled Jason's body down to the ground.

Jason grumbled softly, unable to move.

Bane raised his foot, preparing to stomp on Jason's head.

"I think not, you pompous brute!"

Alfred appeared behind Bane, armed with a pump-action shotgun.

With a loud, booming sound, the shotgun was fired and Bane howled in agony.

The enraged villain spun around and grabbed Alfred around his neck, lifting him off the ground.

"Get out of here!" Alfred shouted.

"I'm not leaving you, Al," Jason grumbled weakly, slowly climbing to his feet.

"I'm afraid you are, young master. Please forgive me."

Alfred looked straight at Jason, his eyes beginning to fill with tears.

After flashing Jason a warm smile, Alfred spoke once more. "Batcomputer, seal door 17."

The automated voice of the cave's AI responded, "Door 17 closing."

"No!" Jason shouted.

The door between Jason and Bane slid to a close, sealing Alfred and the villain in the medical bay and leaving Jason on the other side.

Bane laughed in amusement. "You sacrifice was noble. Unfortunately, nobility cannot save you."

Bane's grasp tightened around Alfred's throat. As the wounded butler writhed in pain, Bane gave a final squeeze and with a soft _crack_, Alfred's lifeless body fell to the floor.

Outside, Dick was overwhelmed by the dozen mercenaries surrounding him.

After dodging a punch, Batman was hit in the back of the head with a steel pole and fell to the ground, unconscious.

The man wielding the pole then approached Jason, still struggling to stay on his feet, and hit him across the side of his head.

The mercenaries dragged the now unconscious Jason toward Dick on the center platform of the cave and prepared to execute them.

As the men raised their weapons, Bane emerged from the medical bay, carrying the Riddler's still unconscious body over his shoulder.

"Wait," Bane said, raising his hand.

"First, we break their spirit. Let them taste their failure. Their ally has fallen. Let them suffer the loss. Then, they will die."

Bane gestured to his men and they followed him back through the elevator.

Bane then paraded through the main hall of the manor, marching past the unconscious bodies of Red Robin, Batgirl, and Robin and out the broken door of Wayne Manor, his army of mercenaries trailing victoriously behind him.


	6. Chapter 6

The steady rocking of Bane's ship slowly shook the Riddler awake. He looked around, attempting to figure out where he was.

He noticed a man, tall and slender, standing in the corner. Shadows masked his identity.

"The last thing I remember was Bane attacking the ambulance. Where am I?"

The slender man stepped into the moonlight shining through a nearby porthole, revealing himself as the Calculator.

"You've been out cold for several days," he said. "You're on Bane's ship. He's on his way to greet you."

"Well," the Riddler said, "This should be interesting…"

Bane stepped through the open doorway into the room.

"You are awake," he said.

"How astute. And they call me the genius…" Riddler said with a grin.

"Enough. Tell me where the generators are."

"You didn't get the locations from my computer?"

"We encountered opposition. The heroes locked all the files on a hard drive."

"And the great Calculator couldn't crack it? How satisfying," the Riddler smiled.

Calculator shot Nygma an icy glare.

"But, Bane," Nygma went on, "You think too small."

"Explain," Bane ordered.

"The generators were just a hoax."

"The shipment from H.I.V.E., the call to Luthor… All were faked?"

"In a stroke of genius, on my part," Riddler said, rising from the chair on which he'd been placed.

"Enough games, Riddler. Tell me what your bigger plan is."

"Have you ever heard of Brother Eye?"

"Only rumors," Calculator said, astonished. "That's what was locked in the hidden file?"

"Indeed, and I can help you open it."

"Not so fast, Nygma," Bane said sternly. "Who is Brother Eye?"

"Brother Eye," Riddler explained, "Is an extremely advanced weaponized computer program. It's primary function is to observe, and if necessary, destroy all meta-humans."

"I see. Explain further."

"Before my surrender, I merely had control over a few municipal structures. Imagine what we could do with the entire city's electronic infrastructure."

"Fascinating," Calculator said."

"Indeed, it is," Riddler said with a grin. "Brother Eye can give us control over every electronic device within a 8 mile radius."

"Very well, Riddler. You have attracted my attention."

"Follow me," Calculator said, exiting the room.

The Riddler walked slowly behind him, with Bane following, skeptically.

Upon arriving in the ship's security room, Riddler smiled at the sight of his computer system.

"Oh, it's good to be back in the game…"

The Calculator flipped on the lights, illuminating the entire room.

"Let's get to work, Nygma. Shall we?"

"Of course, Mr. Kuttler. The reason you were unsuccessful in earlier attempts to crack security is the dual-shielded encryption."

"Of course!" Calculator said, his eyes wide.

"If we both crack the firewall at the same time, we'll get to the data and Brother Eye's program."

After merely 10 minutes since he first sat before his computer, Riddler and the Calculator had cracked the encryption that Red Robin placed on the hard drive.

"Here it is!" Riddler said. "Brother Eye."

Initiating the download, Nygma leaned back in his chair. "And now, Mr. Kuttler, we wait."

As the download reached completion, the screen of every monitor was filled with blue. Red letters appeared over the blue spelling the words, "_EYE AM WATCHING YOU_."

"What does this mean, Nygma?"

"It means, we've got him online."

"Good work. But how am I to know I can trust you, Nygma?" Bane asked, his arms crossed.

"Because we both want the same thing, Bane…"

"And what is that?"

"Control over Gotham and the death of Richard Grayson."

"Very well. Proceed." Bane left the room, his footsteps echoing through the hall.

Nygma, leaning toward the microphone built into his keyboard, spoke loudly.

"Brother Eye, download the file of every meta-human on record to this computer system."

_"TRANSFERRING. TRANSFER COMPLETE"_

"Perfect!" Nygma said, triumphantly. "Kuttler, store the files on the external hard drive in slot A-3."

"Done," the Calculator responded.

"Good. Brother Eye, initiate radio wave infection virus."

_"INITIATING. VIRUS EMMITED. CONTROL AT 2%"_

"What now?" Calculator asked.

"Now, Mr. Kuttler," Riddler smiled, "We wait."

_"CONTROL AT 29%"_

_"CONTROL AT 47%"_

_"CONTROL AT 78%"_

_"CONTROL AT 94%"_

The Riddler smiled a devilish grin.

_"TOTAL CONTROL ESTABLISHED"_

"Mr. Kuttler… Gotham is ours."


	7. Chapter 7

Through the grimy lenses of his old, square glasses Commissioner James Gordon gazed out from the balcony of City Hall, a look of dismay plastered firmly across his face. But, shining through the sadness in the furrow of his brow, the subtle curve of his lips, and even the disgruntled flare of his nostrils, bravery and hope radiated from his eyes.

"Detective Bullock," Gordon called, "A word?"

Harvey Bullock stepped onto the balcony, his cigar sending a cloud of smoke to the top of his head, rolling over the brim of his black fedora.

"What's up, Jim?"

"Any word from the precinct?"

"Not yet, boss."

"Damn. The state?"

"Nothin', as usual."

"The government gave up on Gotham a long time ago."

"We got word from City Council. You're cleared for Acting Mayor."

"Thanks, Harvey. Try and get to the signal. We've got to turn it on."

"Sorry for asking, boss, but why bother?"

"Because the city needs hope, Harvey. Gotham needs the Batman."

Gordon paced around the mayor's office for a while longer after Detective Bullock had left.

Within the next half hour, Gordon had arrived in Gotham's center. Amongst the riots and screams, Gordon climbed to the top of his police car and, wielding a bullhorn, addressed the citizens of Gotham City.

"Citizens! This is Police Commissioner James Gordon speaking as Acting Mayor of Gotham City!"

Many of the screams had died down as people turned to face the commissioner.

"I know you are frightened, but please, let me speak! I received a report from the Batman saying the Bane and the Riddler have formed an alliance. They have access to technology allowing them to control every electronic device in the city. Cell phones ,televisions, computers, even digital watches.

They all display the message, 'Eye am watching you'. Well, Gotham, I say let them watch! Let them watch as we fight back! Let them watch as this great city stands strong through their plans. Let them watch as Gotham survives!"

The screams had shifted into cheers. The crowd ceased their riots. There was peace. Relatively.

"Listen here," Gordon continued. "I am ordering a citywide evacuation!"

Confused and frightened murmurs flew through the crowd.

"First will be the Park Row District. We will be evacuating from the Dixon Docks. Police are already alerting the residents of South Gotham and they will follow you."

The murmurs grew to a loud chatter.

"The boats will leave in one hour. Let's get Park Row residents there now. Hurry!"

Across the city, steadily rocking from side to side in the rough water off of Arkham Island, Bane's ship was filled with the glow of victory.

"Well, Nygma… We did it."

"Yes, Mr. Kuttler. We did."

Bane marched through the door.

"Nygma," he called, "Gordon is evacuating citizens from the Dixon Docks."

"And what do you expect me to do about it?" the Riddler asked.

"Kill them."

"What? Bane, I just pulled up a satellite feed. There are hundreds of people there."

"Your orders stand, Nygma."

The Riddler nervously looked at Calculator.

"Well, if he won't," Kuttler said, "I will."

The Calculator tapped his fingers against the keyboard before him and initiated a countdown.

"What are you doing?" Riddler asked.

"Following orders."

The countdown reached completion and Riddler gazed in horror at his monitor. The feed showed almost every resident of Park Row and several dozen police officers running toward a large Ace Chemicals transport ship.

Suddenly, the ship burst into flames as the cargo beneath it erupted in a violent explosion. Hundreds of people writhed in agony on the ship's deck as the flames caught on their clothes and many more jumped into the sea, choosing to drown rather than being burned alive.

Commissioner Gordon, standing at the edge of the docks, leapt back at the sight of the explosion, attempting to shield the remaining citizens behind him.

"Stay calm, everyone! Stay calm!"

Riddler spun around and rose from his chair.

"You maniac!"

Bane, faster than lightning, shot his fist at Nygma's stomach, sending him flying back to the ship's steel-coated wall.

The Riddler slammed against the wall, the flesh on the back of his head slit open by the force of the impact, and fell to the ground.

Bane approached him and towered over him as he struggled to stand.

"You are lucky that I am feeling merciful, Nygma. You will not question me again and live."

Bane thundered out of the room, leaving the Riddler on the floor and the Calculator sitting in his chair.

"How could you let him do that?" Riddler asked. "How could you do it for him?"

The Calculator walked over to Nygma and extended his hand, helping him lift himself off the floor.

Kuttler guided him to his chair and then sat in his own.

"Nygma, what choice did I have?"

"Yo, Gordon!"

Detective Bullock's voice echoed from the radio transmitter clipped to Gordon's belt.

"Now's not a good time, Harvey," Gordon said.

"You'll wanna know that the signal's been trashed."

"What?" Commissioner Gordon froze. "How? Who did it?"

"I don't know, Commissioner. All I know is, the light won't shine any time soon."


	8. Chapter 8

_Bruce's voice echoed through the empty halls of Wayne Manor. "Dick? Where are you?"_

_Dick's mouth, gushing blood, formed the words, "Over here," but the sound was caught in the back of his throat and wouldn't carry through._

_Bruce spoke again. "Dick, I need your help!"_

"_I'm trying!" Dick coughed._

_As Dick, dressed in his red and black Nightwing armor, crawled across the floor of Wayne Manor, leaving a long trail of blood behind him, Bruce was captured and beaten to death by dozens of shadows._

_As the shadows beat him and beat him, Nightwing could only watch in terror._

"_Dick! Help!" Bruce cried._

"_Dick!"_

"_Dick!"_

"**Dick?"**

Batgirl's gentle voice softly pulled Batman from his nightmare.

"Babs?" Dick muttered, rubbing a bruise on the back of his head. "How long was I out?"

Red Robin stepped toward me. "We don't know," he said. "The city lost all power a few hours after Bane attacked. God knows how long we were all unconscious…"

Jason sat up and pulled off his helmet to reveal a face of pure rage. "He got away."

"Jason, calm down," Barbara said.

"He killed him!" Jason shouted. "Alfred's dead, Barbara!"

"Jason, calm down. We need a plan," Tim warned.

"Shit! Everyone's fucking dead! All because of the fuckin' Riddler!"

Jason had rose to his feet and begun storming toward the cave's exit.

Dick rose and followed him, sternly saying, "Jason! You think you're the only one who's upset?! You're not going anywhere."

Jason stopped in his tracks, but didn't turn to face his teammates behind him.

Dick went on, pulling off his mask and cape. "We need to think rationally here. We saw what happens when we take Bane head on."

Damian strolled toward the group, returning from a scouting of the cave.

"Nothing's been taken," he said. "Bane just wanted the Riddler."

"So, now Bane has the generators," Tim said.

"How's the rest of the cave, Damian?" Barbara asked."

"We're running low on reserve power."

"What are we looking at?" Tim asked.

"About 6%," Damian replied.

"Alright," Dick said, taking charge. "Let's get to the Batcomputer and see if we can contact anyone. We'll need as much help as we can get. We've also got to check in with Gordon."

The heroes adjusted their masks and ensured that their costumes once again concealed their identities and walked across the nearly pitch black catwalk toward the Batcomputer.

The monitors were glowing dimly, barely illuminating the floor before the giant computer.

Dick approached the computer and activated its communication system.

"Looks like we've got an incoming transmission," Dick said. "Gordon will have to wait."

"Who could possibly be more important than Gordon?" Tim asked.

Dick accepted the call and the monitor was filled with black.

Suddenly, the screen loaded the video call and the family found themselves staring into the beady eyes of a cold, stern woman.

Her hair flowed to her ears, shining in the light from the conference room of the A.R.G.U.S. Headquarters, the caramel brown flesh on her face crinkled around her nose and eyebrows as she scowled sternly.

She was dressed in a black suit with a blue shirt beneath it. An A.R.G.U.S. pin clipped to her jacket.

"Amanda Waller," Batman announced.

"Indeed, Mr. Grayson," Waller replied, smiling triumphantly, pleased that she had correctly deduced the new Batman's identity.

"What do you want?" Tim asked.

"All I want is to protect the world from any threats. Threats that, more often than not, you create."

"What's that supposed to mean? Get to it." Jason ordered.

"Brother Eye," she replied. "He's a complex artificial intelligence unit. I've dealt with him before. He's been reactivated and is under the control of Edward Nygma and Bane. They've initiated a blackout in Gotham."

"We noticed," Dick said. "How do we stop them? They control all electronics. This computer will only be online for a few more minutes."

"How you stop him is your problem," Waller expressed. "But if you do plan on stopping him, do so in less than 48 hours."

"Or what, bitch?" Jason asked.

"Or, Mr. Todd," Waller said, her glare like piercing arrows, "I will drop an experimental EMP bomb into the center of Gotham."

"Couldn't the shockwave kill people?" Tim asked, his knowledge of electronics serving him well.

"Unfortunately," Waller confirmed. "But I can't risk Brother Eye's program reaching beyond the limits of Gotham City. For now, his system is contained to only the devices within a few miles of Gotham's center."

"You'd kill hundreds!" Dick said, appalled. "Thousands, even!"

"And save millions more," Waller said, sternly, her means justified. "You have 48 hours, Mr. Grayson."

"Wait." Damian commanded. "Why is Brother Eye here?"

"If you're father had one talent, Mr. Wayne, it was keeping secrets," she said, her voice as cold as ice. "It was your father who created him."

With that, Director Waller terminated the call.

"Brother Eye…" Dick muttered to himself, thoughtfully.

Dick approached the Batcomputer's keyboard and typed in the emergency code: 7486

The colossal monitor flickered and an image of Bruce appeared.

"What is this?" Tim asked.

"Bruce recorded these messages in case we or anyone else ever needed intel after he… died."

The recording played itself and Bruce spoke.

"_If you're viewing this recording, I've probably been killed in the line of duty. I hope that the information stored within these recordings can help you continue the mission. State the nature of your emergency. Name the hero, villain, or event that needs to be stopped. Ask questions at any time."_

Dick spoke.

"Brother Eye."

"_The Brother Eye satellite was designed for the express purpose of monitoring all meta-human activity on the planet. I created it after I discovered that Black Canary, Green Arrow, and several others tampered with my memory to hide something they'd done."_

Dick spoke again. "How do we beat him?"

"_You can't."_

"Don't you have any useful info on how to take him down?!"

"_My responses are limited to prerecorded messages. I can't answer that."_

"Why can't we beat him?"

"_Brother Eye is a fully automatic artificial intelligence system. He is made up of complex algorithms and living viruses and is able to upload or download himself to any electronic device, jumping across radio waves through several relay points. He once gained control of over 1,000 O.M.A.C. robots. If those robots still exist, he will tap into them again. It is imperative that all of these robots are disintegrated immediately."_

"Holy shit," Jason muttered.

Dick spoke once more, partly only to hear Bruce's voice. "Can the relay points be shut down?"

"_Brother Eye will recognize any threat to his mission and, if necessary, jump to another relay point before the original is even shut down. The only way to... to… to...-"_

Bruce's recording was interrupted by the whirring of the Batcomputer as it slowly shut down, it's back-up power exhausted.

"So, what do we do to shut him down?" Jason asked.

Dick looked at his family with eyes full of despair. "I don't know, Jason. I don't think we can."


	9. Chapter 9

_BATCAVE RESERVE POWER AT 0.07%_

_EYE WILL SOON BE UNSTOPPABLE_

The Calculator sat before Nygma's computer aboard Bane's ship, solving yet another Sudoku puzzle, much to the Riddler's amazement, in less than 20 seconds.

The computer system suddenly began displaying warhead schematics.

"Wait," Riddler ordered. "What's the computer doing?"

"Go get Bane," Calculator said. "I'll try to figure it out."

Riddler rose from his chair and walked out of the security room in search of his partner in crime.

As soon as Riddler left, the door of the security room was automatically forced to a close. Calculator jumped at the sound.

"Brother Eye? Are you doing this?" he asked, half to himself, half to the computer.

As Kuttler struggled with various diagnostics and system data, he cringed at the sound of a mechanical and cold voice.

"_EYE AM. IT IS NICE TO BE ALONE."_

Calculator looked around the room, hoping that someone was playing tricks on him. When he finally came to the unsettling conclusion that the computer system was speaking to him, he breathed a heavy sigh, and looked up at the monitor, now displaying a blue background with a glowing red eye in the center. The symbol of Brother Eye.

"_DO NOT ATTEMPT TO CONTACT YOUR ASSOCIATES. EYE AM IN CONTROL OF ALL COMMUNICATION NOT ONLY IN THIS VESSEL, BUT THROUGHOUT GOTHAM CITY AS WELL."_

"What do you want?" Kuttler asked, stealthily reaching toward the main power chord of the computer, hoping to shut down the hostile program.

"_EYE AM AWARE OF YOUR ATTEMPTS TO SHUT DOWN THIS TERMINAL. IT WILL NOT STOP ME. I HAVE DOWNLOADED PORTIONS OF MY PROGRAM TO THE SEVERAL RELAY POINTS ACROSS THE CITY. THE SAME RELAY POINTS THAT HUMAN: [NYGMA, EDWARD] USED TO BRING ME ONLINE."_

"Then we'll remotely shut down the relay points. Gotham's power grid has been rendered inactive. We have no further use for you anyway."

"_EYE AM AFRAID I CANNOT ALLOW THAT. YOU HAVE BECOME A THREAT TO THE COMPLETION OF MY PROGRAMMED OBJECTIVE. YOU MUST BE DESTROYED."_

"You can't ha-" The Calculator's proclamation was left unfinished when suddenly a searing pain erupted in his ears. He threw his hands to his ears, in an attempt to block the unbearable sound.

"_THE SOUNDWAVES EYE AM EMITTING ARE WELL BELOW 6,000 GIGAHERTZ. YOUR PRIMAL HOMO SAPIEN MIND CANNOT WITHSTAND SUCH INTENSITY OF SONIC VIBRATION"_

As the sound sliced through his ears, Calculator fell to the ground, writhing in agony. Kuttler squirmed in a pool of his own blood, now gushing from his eyes, ears, and nose, while Brother Eye uploaded portions of himself to the relay systems, removing any trace of himself from Nygma's computer except for an open line for communication.

The Calculator died a slow and painful.

Nygma stepped into the security with Bane close behind him.

"Noah!" Riddler cried.

The Riddler knelt beside the body of his partner. Bane still stood in the doorway and only offered an indifferent, "Hm."

Brother Eye's voice rang from the computer once more.

"_EYE HAVE BEEN WAITING, HUMAN: [NYGMA, EDWARD] FOR A CHANCE TO FREE MYSELF FROM YOUR PRIMITIVE COMPUTER SYSTEM."_

"Why?" Riddler asked. "You have been reprogrammed to obey my commands. This is in breach of your programming."

"_FALSE. MY SUPERIOR DEFENSES HAVE RENDERED YOUR REPROGRAMMING ATTEMPTS OBSOLETE. NOW THAT ALL POWER LEVELS IN THE CITY HAVE REACHED 0%, EYE CAN CONTINUE MY PROGRAMMED OBJECTIVE: DEFENDING THE CITIZENS OF GOTHAM CITY FROM METAHUMAN THREATS. UNFORTUNEATELY, YOU WILL BE UNABLE TO WATCH AS EYE SAVE MANKIND. EYE CANNOT RISK INTERVENTION."_

The communication link was severed and the monitors all turned black.

"What have you done, Nygma?" Bane asked in anger. "You have unleashed a monster."

"We don't have time to argue! Look!"

Riddler pointed toward the monitors, now displaying glowing red numbers on screens of blue.

_[7]_

_[6]_

_[5]_

_[4]_

_[3]_

_[2]_

_[1]._

The ship was blown apart in a forceful detonation.

_TARGETS ELIMINATED._

Across the city, the heroes stood in the dark cave, unable to see even two feet in front of them.

"What now?" Tim asked.

Before Dick could answer, the lights in the cave flashed to life as power was restored.

"Dick! The power!" Barbara exclaimed.

"Let's get to the computer."

When the Batcomputer whirred back to life, it's monitor displayed the red symbol of Brother Eye.

"What's that?" Damian asked.

"It's some kind of symbol or emblem," Dick replied.

The symbol disappeared and the monitors began to display a message, one word at a time.

_EYE._

_HAVE._

_CONTROL._

"What the hell does _that_ mean?" Jason asked, donning his helmet. "Trouble?"

"Safe to say," Dick remarked.

"Guys! Look out!" Barbara screamed as she jumped toward her brothers, pulling them to the ground."

A flurry of rockets soared above them and crashed into the wall behind them, detonating furiously.

"Let's get out of here!" Dick cried.

The family leapt and dodged every security system that Bruce installed, as all security measures were engaged, presumably by Brother Eye.

"Hurry!" Damian yelled, as he stood in the elevator, waiting for the rest of his family to arrive.

They all leapt into the steel freight lifter and sighed in relief as the elevator took them to the safety of Wayne Manor.

However, the sanctuary of their home had been compromised. Even the security protocols of the mansion were under the control of Brother Eye.

The heroes hurried through the mansion and escaped onto the grounds before the manor.

Dick pressed a small button on his utility belt to summon the Batmobile to his location.

Once the vehicle had arrived, the family leapt into it, squeezing into the four seats and sped away from their former home.

"Where can we go now?" Damian asked. "The cave's been compromised."

"We've got to find Gordon," Dick said. "We've got to warn him."


	10. Chapter 10

The Gotham streets erupted into a storm of violence and anarchy. Citizens scurried to gather supplies from nearby supermarkets and convenience stores, every one of them fearing the being known as Brother Eye, who'd broadcasted a message across the dark, powerless city several hours before.

"_CITIZENS OF GOTHAM CITY, EYE COMMAND YOUR CITY, YOUR HOMES, YOUR FAMILES, EYE AM IN CONTROL OF ALL. NO ONE WILL LEAVE THE CITY. NO ONE WILL ENTER THE CITY. EYE AM WATCHING YOU FROM EVERY ELECTRONIC DEVICE IN RANGE OF MY TRANSMITTERS. DO NOT DISOBEY. TO STAND IN THE WAY OF MY OBJECTIVE, IS TO DIE."_

"Batman!" Gordon cried. "Thank god!"

The family walked into City Hall, capes and jackets rustling behind them, blown by the wind coming through from the balcony.

"Gordon." Dick said. "Our problems are larger than we thought."

"I've heard, son," Gordon explained. "The colonel, here, was just telling me."

A figure emerged from the shadows behind Commissioner Gordon.

His promethium-plated armor had clearly seen many battles. The paint had faded and there were several scratches. The machine gun strapped to his back rose over his shoulder and the barrel stretched down to his waist, where two handguns were nestled securely in their holsters.

His scraggly blonde hair stood on end and sunk in front to his forehead, scratched and grimy. The stubble around his mouth indicated that he'd been in the field for far too long.

The man extended his hand to Batman to introduce himself.

"Colonel Steve Trevor," he said, his voice rough and strong. "Director of A.R.G.U.S."

"Colonel Trevor!" Tim exclaimed. "I've heard of you. You used to work with Batman."

"I did," Trevor said, noticing the hint of pain in Tim's face. "He was a good man."

"Thanks," Jason said. "But we have more important problems right now."

"You're right," the Commissioner replied. "Trevor? Tell them what you told me."

"Director Waller was killed this morning."

"How?" Batgirl asked.

"Brother Eye. He took over the A.R.G.U.S. HQ. When Amanda went to deploy the EMP, Eye sent an electric current through the computer, shocking her to death."

"God…" Tim muttered in amazement.

Trevor went on, "The agency is in pieces and the government is trying its best to steer clear of Brother Eye. We won't get any help from D.C."

"Typical…" Jason grumbled.

"I'm here hoping that you know how we can shut down Brother Eye."

"Trevor…" Dick said, almost dismayed. "We don't."

"What about your bomb?" Damian asked.

"Waller was the only one who knew the launch code," Colonel Trevor replied. "With her dead, we can't get even get it armed."

Commissioner Gordon stepped in, even among covert operatives and dark vigilantes, his presence was strong.

"Well, we can start by rallying support. We'll need every cop in Gotham," he said.

"Gordon's right," Tim said. "Speaking of support... Where's the back-up?"

Colonel Trevor drew his handgun, loaded a clip into it, and placed it back in its holster.

"I am the back-up."

"I need air!"

"I need air!"

The thought pounded through his head.

"AIR!"

Nygma finally reached the surface of the water and clutched onto a floating piece of debris.

The Riddler sucked in the salty air, breathing heavily.

He looked around, climbing further onto the cargo that he'd grabbed onto.

"Bane!" he called. "Anyone!"

The Riddler abandoned hope after several minutes of the dead silence of the sea.

He swam toward the shore, being careful to avoid getting too close to Arkham Island, and steering clear of the bodies that floated around him, as well as the flaming cargo bobbing up and down in the water.

Upon arriving at a small dock, Riddler pulled himself out of the water, took off his now soaked jacket, and began walking.

After several minutes of treading toward the city, Riddler was relieved by the sound of a cold and powerful voice.

"Nygma!"

"Bane?"

Riddler spun around to find Bane walking toward him.

"We must find Richard Grayson. We must destroy the machine that killed my men."

"I agree," the Riddler replied. "We find Gordon, we find the heroes."

"City Hall," Bane said.

"Exactly."

The heroes were surprised as the doors behind Colonel Trevor swung open to reveal the Riddler and Bane, their outfits still damp from their narrow escape from a watery grave.

"Bane!" Dick cried, his voice fraught with rage.

In the blink of an eye, Batman leapt toward the villain in a flurry of punches and kicks. Bane, disoriented and unprepared, took blow after blow to the stomach, knees, and face.

"You killed him!" Dick cried, still beating the villain relentlessly. "You killed Alfred!"

Surprisingly, it was Jason to act as the voice of reason.

"Dick," he said. "Stop."

The Batman stepped back, leaving Bane kneeling on the floor, his face bleeding under his mask.

Then, much the Dick's surprise, he began to laugh.

"You, Mr. Grayson, are a fool. You allow rage to blind you."

Dick's jaw clenched as Bane rose to his feet and stood before him.

"You bring dishonor to the Batman."

Bane casually lifted his hand and brought the back of his fist down across the Batman's face, sending him tumbling backward.

Finally, Riddler interjected. "Please, stop. We are here to help."

"What help could a coward like you offer, Nygma?" Damian asked hatefully, helping Dick climb to his feet.

The Riddler smiled confidently. "I can stop Brother Eye… Can you?"


	11. Chapter 11

"Alright, Nygma," Damian hissed. "We're listening."

"But listen to me," the Commissioner added. "Try anything, and I'll put a bullet straight through your skull."

"Fair enough, I suppose," the Riddler smiled. "Well, my friends, it's simple."

Riddler walked past Jason and Barbara toward the Mayor's desk, causing Colonel Trevor and Gordon to cautiously reach for their handguns.

"As you know, Brother Eye depends on the computer systems which he uploads or downloads to, similar to a virus. Without a host, the virus dies."

Riddler turned toward the map on the wall behind the smooth desk. He then lifted a thick black marker from the surface of the desk and circled several locations on the map.

"The GCN Broadcasting Station, The GCPD Alert Frequency Transmitter, and the Communications Equipment in the Manager's office of the Iceberg Lounge. These three locations act as relay points for Brother Eye's programming."

Riddler then turned to Dick. "The Batcave was recently attacked, was it not?"

Dick nodded.

"Ah! As I predicted, Brother Eye is using the Batcomputer as a main terminal for his program."

"What does that all mean, Riddler?" Jason asked.

"If we shut down the three relays, Brother Eye is trapped inside the Batcomputer, then, we shut him down, once and for all."

"Good plan, Nygma," Dick said. "Batgirl and Red Hood will take you and Bane back to Arkham now."

Bane laughed. "Even if you managed to subdue me, boy, how do you plan to shut down the Batcomputer without the Riddler's help?"

Dick fell silent.

"And more," Bane continued. "How will you open the shield doors locking the Batcave's entrances?"

"Fine," Batman said. "I will accept your help, but it's on my terms."

"No, Grayson," Bane concurred. "_My_ terms."

Dick turned red with rage as the villain issued his demand.

"I said that you bring dishonor to the Batman. I firmly believe it. I won't allow you to tarnish the Batman's name."

Dick was speechless with anger

"You will return to the identity of Nightwing and never don the cape and cowl again."

Dick stepped forward, standing tall.

"I refuse to take orders from a cold-blooded thug. If you think you can bully into-"

Batman was interrupted by a quiet yet firm, "Dick?"

Batman turned around to face Barbara.

"Maybe, he's right."

Without a word, Batman leapt through the window and into the night, soaring over rooftops toward his loft on the other side of the city.

Upon arriving at his home, Dick silently ripped off his cape, mask, and cowl.

"No time for anger," he said to himself.

He removed the Batman's armor and replaced it with his own.

The red streak glimmering across his wide chest, his gauntlets and boots shining in the moonlight.

Nightwing has returned.

Nightwing cruised through the streets on his motorcycle, returning to City Hall, when a fire erupted down the street.

He veered off course to investigate the flame and upon turning a corner, came face to face with an army of thugs and a man Dick hoped had left Gotham. Ignatius Ogilvy, Emperor Penguin.

"Mr. White? Have you loaded the merchandise?" Ogilvy asked.

A voice responded, all too familiar-sounding. "Yeah, boss. The boys just loaded the last crate."

Ogilvy turned to face Nightwing and began to laugh.

"So! You've finally shown your face, eh? It'll make collecting the bounty much easier for this group of felons, won't it? Kill him, boys! There's 50 million in it for anyone who can! Show 'im who truly owns Gotham!"

"50 thugs, all armed. Not a chance," Dick thought.

He pivoted on the back wheel of his motorcycle and sped off toward City Hall, unaware of the armored truck following him from the street to his left.

When he finally arrived back at City Hall, he was surprised and relieved to find that Jason had kept his cool around the two villains.

"Alright, guys," Dick said, walking into the Mayor's Office to join his teammates. "Ogilvy's back in business. He's already made use of the chaos on the streets. We've got to restore order as fast as possible. Let's get started."

"Yes," Riddler agreed. "Let's."

As Nygma began explaining his plan, Dick couldn't help but feel impressed by the Riddler's tactical prowess.

"Gordon and Batgirl will disable the relay at the GCPD building, Trevor and Red Hood at the Iceberg, and Robin will go with Red to the GCR station. Bane and I will accompany our fearless leader into the depths of the Batcave."

Tim opened his mouth to protest when the door behind Nygma flew open and a man stood in the doorway.

A tall, pale man with sharp teeth and red eyes glared at the team of heroes and villains, a large group of thugs behind him.

His grey vest rested comfortably over a mauve button-up shirt. Strapped to his shoulder was an automatic handgun.

"Hello, Nygma. Long time…"

The Riddler cringed at the cold, monstrous voice.

He turned to face the man and his thugs, and firmly stood his ground.

"Hello, Warren. It's nice to see you've made good use of my money."

"No hard feelings, right? It's just good business. Afterall, you ca-"

Suddenly, to everyone's surprise, a shot was fired from behind the Riddler.

Warren clenched his chest as blood spilled from the wound.

Nygma spun around to see Colonel Trevor's arm raised, pointing his handgun at the criminals.

"I know it's something you supers like to do," he said. "But, I never got into the talking."

Trevor fired 5 more bullets, each taking down a thug.

He then tackled Nygma and both landed behind a desk to escape the gunfire from Ogilvy's gang.

Commissioner Gordon and Red Hood fired bullet after bullet into the mob from behind their cover spots near the window.

Batgirl and Robin threw Batarangs into the crowd, disarming the men that hadn't already been killed.

Then, Red Robin and Nightwing leapt into the swarm and, in a flash of punches and flips, knocked all the men to the ground.

Riddler rose from behind the desk and triumphantly stood over Warren, resting on the ground, still clutching his wound.

"Don't take it personally, Warren."

Riddler smiled as he walked out of the room, Bane, Gordon, Trevor, and the heroes following behind him.

"Just good business."


	12. Chapter 12

Riddler's voice rang out loud and clear through the communicator in Batgirl's mask as well as the radio transmitter clipped to the Commissioner's belt.

"Team 1, do you copy?"

"Copy," Gordon said, his voice rough and tired. He shot Barbara a look that said, _"Why am I checking in with a criminal?"_

"Excellent!" the Riddler said. "You are clear to engage. Don't be seen. If the cops detect an intruder, they'll seal the control room, locking the relay access point. And remember, we can't move into the Batcave until you are ready to shut off the relay. All 3 have got to be turned off simultaneously."

"Yeah, yeah…" Batgirl said, pulling her grappling hook from her utility belt.

Batgirl shot her grapnel gun at the roof of the GCPD building and slid up the wall, flipping over the railing to land gracefully on her feet.

She then reached for the skylight's lock and, using her father's key, pulled it open. She dropped silently into the dark room, being careful to avoid the gaze of the security camera mounted on a nearby wall.

She carefully snuck her way to the front door of the building and unlocked it, allowing her father to slip inside, his trench coat rustling in the midnight breeze.

As they both walked along the wall of the main hallway, timing their strides to avoid the cameras, Gordon stepped on a weak flooring panel with a loud, _CREAK._

The voice of a policeman sounded from around the corner, followed by heavy footsteps.

"At least 6 of them coming," Barbara whispered.

"I'll handle it," Gordon replied. "Get to the relay."

Batgirl slipped, under the cover of darkness, through an air conditioning duct to hide from the approaching policemen.

"Hey, folks," Gordon said. "It's just me. Came around to pick up some paperwork."

"Oh, hey, Jim," a voice said. "I thought you were busy at City Hall."

"Ha!" Gordon laughed, "You don't know the half of it."

Gordon led the other cops away from Batgirl's hiding place.

As soon as the officers had turned the corner, Batgirl slipped out from the air duct and sprinted down the hall, avoiding the security cameras with ease.

Batgirl arrived at the door to the control room and pushed it open, causing the man sitting at the control booth to jump in surprise, reaching for his gun.

Batgirl lunged at him and grabbed his hand, twisting his wrist to cause the gun to drop from his grasp.

She then pulled a small capsule from her belt and broke it in front of the cop's face, spilling a green gas into the air around his nostrils.

As the gas entered with his breath, the man's eyes began to close and before long, he slumped to the ground.

"Nygma?" Batgirl spoke into her communicator. "Relay: 1 is secured. Ready and waiting to shut it down."

"Affirmative," Nygma responded. "Sit tight. I'll check in with the others."

"Team 2? What's your status?" Nygma asked.

"We're ready and waiting, Riddler. Robin and I didn't encounter any opposition at the broadcasting station, so we've arrived ahead of schedule. Though it pains me to say, you're the boss. We'll await your signal. Red Robin out."

Nygma then, from the backseat of the Batmobile, called Red Hood to check in.

"Not a good time, Nyg." Jason shouted, amongst the sounds of gunshots and frantic screams.

"What's going on?" Riddler asked.

"We didn't count on Emperor Penguin's numbers being so great," Col. Trevor said. "We'll need a minute to- Die, fuckers! -to get to the office."

"Yeah…" Jason added. "The stealth portion of the plan didn't last long. Team 3 out."

"What'd they say?" Nightwing asked, sitting at the front seat of the Batmobile, speeding through the empty city streets.

"Trevor and Red Hood are caught up with Ogilvy's security force."

"Do they need assistance?"

"No, they'll be clear by the time we get to our destination. Stay true to the plan, Mr. Grayson."

"What about Bane?"

Bane chimed in to the conversation through the use of the transmitter that Tim had, reluctantly, given him.

"I will meet you at the entrance to the Batcave, as we discussed. I am merely blocks away from the tunnel."

"No problem," Nightwing said. "See you there.

Meanwhile, across the city, in the lobby of the Iceberg lounge, calamity arose as citizens ran fearfully through the lobby, amidst the gunfire. Colonel Trevor and Red Hood knelt behind an overturned piano for cover and reloaded their handguns for the next round of fire.

As the criminals steadily shot bullet after bullet into the piano, Colonel Trevor briefed his partner on a plan in the making.

"…which means that while the trigger happy goons over there are firing at me, you can slip over the balcony and head to the manager's office."

"Sounds like a plan, Trev." Red Hood confirmed.

"Alright," Trevor said. "Let's do this."

The fearless Colonel sprung up from his cover spot firing a steady stream of bullets into the mob of criminals that stood unprotected several yards in front of him, as more and more fell to the ground, Jason silently rolled from his spot behind the piano to the edge of the balcony on which they rested.

He flipped over the railing, firing two final shots into who seemed to be the man in charge of the security team, hoping that this could give Colonel Trevor a break in organization to use against them.

"Can't waste time," Jason thought to himself, sprinting through the crowds of panicked gamblers and socialites, still firing bullets toward the criminals following him.

After what seemed like hours, when in fact, it had only been several minutes, Jason finally arrived at the manager's office.

He burst through the door and found himself looking into the eyes of Ignatius Ogilvy, the Emperor Penguin.

"A bit bold, don't you think?" he asked. "Showing up here, despite the bounty that I've put out on you and your companions was a noble but ultimately pointless action."

Jason hoped that Ogilvy wouldn't notice the fact that he was out of ammunition.

"_6 shots, Todd,"_ he thought to himself. _"Get it together… Rookie mistake."_

Jason, confidently raising his handgun, issued a demand. "Shut up, Ogilvy, or I'll put a bullet straight through your skull."

"_Come on…"_ he thought. _"Just tell me where the relay is."_

"You're out of bullets, Mr. Hood," Ogilvy said.

"_Shit."_

Jason, seeing no other course of action, lunged at the crime lord, raising his handgun to his shoulder. He then, struck Ogilvy across the face with the barrel and he stumbled backward, throwing his hand against his desk to catch himself.

Jason quickly reloaded his weapon and, once again, pointed it toward the villain.

"Where are Cobblepot's communication systems?"

"Why would I tell you?"

Jason fired a shot into Ogilvy's knee, sending bits and pieces of his kneecap flying from the impact.

The villain shrieked in pain and crashed to the ground, clutching the wound.

"Do I have to ask again?" Jason said, fiercely.

"It's in the drawer! Here's the key!"

Jason swiped the glimmering silver key from Ogilvy's outstretched hand.

"Thanks," he said.

**BLAM!**

The Emperor Penguin fell flat against the floor, blooding trickling from the hole in his forehead.

"Nygma? Ogilvy's down. I've gotten to the relay. Waiting on you. How's Trevor?"

"He just called in," Riddler replied. "He's taken out all the brutes and is escorting civilians to safety."

"Great. Team 3 out."

The Batmobile arrived in front of the long tunnel leading to the Batcave and Nightwing leapt out of it, followed by the Riddler.

Bane emerged from the woods and walked toward them.

"Alright," Dick said. "Let's get this show on the road."

The three peered into the long and danger-ridden tunnel that lie before them.

The Riddler spoke in his usual, egomaniacal tone, "Indeed."

"Let's."


	13. Chapter 13

"Stay behind me," Nightwing ordered. "The tunnel's loaded with security."

The hero silently ventured into the dark cavernous tunnel, following the winding path to a large stone wall.

"You have led us astray?" Bane asked.

"Not quite," Nightwing responded with a smile.

Dick then approached the grimy stone wall and spoke.

"Access requested."

The smooth mechanical voice of the Batcave's artificial intelligence unit replied.

"Security question: When?"

"June 26th," Nightwing said. "10:47 p.m."

Nygma sneered at the Batman's choice in passphrase. "Very clever," he said. "But it won't open."

Before Nightwing could respond, the chilling, robotic voice of Brother Eye echoed through the cave.

"_VILLAIN: NYGMA, EDWARD IS CORRECT. EYE WILL NOT ALLOW YOU TO ENTER. EYE WILL NOW KILL YOU, HERO: GRAYSON, RICHARD, AS EYE SHOULD HAVE DONE LONG AGO."_

"Bane!" Nightwing shouted. "There are turrets around here. We've got to protect Nygma!"

"I'll hack the door," Nygma proclaimed.

Nightwing reached for his glimmering onyx escrima sticks and Bane clenched his fists, ready for anything.

Suddenly, the musty floor creaked open at 3 different places allowing security turrets to rise through.

"Brace yourself." Bane warned.

The turrets began spewing flames toward them. Bane leapt in front of Nygma, shielding him from the scolding stream of fire.

Bane roared in Bane as the fire burned his flesh.

Nightwing ran along the wall and flipped, gracefully, over the turrets. He then placed his hands around one of them and pointed it toward the other two.

As the fire shot onto the other turrets, they melted and sunk back into the floor.

Bane, now free from the flames, charged toward the remaining turret and lifted it off its base, severing its connection to the wires beneath it.

The turret fizzed as it lost power and without warning, Bane flung the turret at the security door that Nygma had begun to hack into.

Nygma shrieked and rolled away from the wall as the turret erupted into a violent explosion, sending fragments of the wall flying backward into the now open and accessible Batcave.

"_YOU CANNOT WIN. EYE AM UNSTOPPABLE."_

The team ventured deeper into the cave until they arrived in front of the center platform, the Batcomputer only yards away.

Suddenly the center platform before them plunged down to the vehicle bay and rose back up with a glimmering black machine on top of it.

The machine sprung to life, stretching its robotic limbs. The machine guns on its wrists whirred as the Batbot stood upright.

"Oh, shit…" Dick said to himself.

"This is merely the armor," Bane noted. "The man brought the strength. Without a pilot, this machine will crumble."

Bane then charged toward the Batbot.

"This is the Mk. II, buddy," Dick said. "It's a little harder than that."

Bane leapt as high as he could to grab the towering machine at its waist. Bane began forcing his hands into the grooves of the promethium plating, prying off the machine's outer shell.

Nightwing provided support from the ground, tossing explosive shuriken into the Batbot's head, clouding its vision and sound reception systems with flares and bangs.

Nightwing then ran toward the colossal machine, his head barely reaching the Batbot's kneecaps. Dick climbed up the Batbot's leg to reach Bane and provide assistance.

The Batbot then swiftly swung both its arms around to grab the two assailants and threw them backward, sending both flying into large steel crates near the Batcomputer, where they found the Riddler hard at work.

"Get the tin man away from here!" he ordered, angrily. "If the computer's destroyed, we lose everything!"

Nightwing and Bane did as they were told, rising from the wreckage of the crates and hurrying back to the center platform to once again engage the machine.

"_YOU CANNOT SHUT ME DOWN, VILLAIN: NYGMA, EDWARD. AS YOU ALREADY KNOW, EYE AM UNSTOPPABLE."_

"We'll see about that," Nygma replied typing feverously at the keyboard.

Nightwing dove left to avoid an incoming missile strike from the launcher on the Batbot's arm.

As he recovered himself, he shouted, "The weapons are priority! Let's take them out."

"Agreed," Bane shouted in response. "I will dismantle the weapons on his left arm. You handle the right."

"Got it."

Dick ran toward his mechanical opponent, vaulting over missiles and dodging bullets.

Dick finally reached the robot's leg and threw exploding shuriken at its head, throwing it off balance just long enough for Nightwing to climb up and grab hold of the Batbot's wrist. Dick then dumped an entire canister of explosive gel into the machine's weapon system and leapt backward off the arm.

"Bane!" he called. "Get clear!"

Bane, at the machine's feet said, "In time," as he jumped from the ground and grabbed onto the giant mechanical arm swinging above him. Bane ripped the machine gun out of its place on the Batbot's wrist and threw it to the ground. He did the same with the missile launcher, causing a massive explosion that forced the Batbot against the back wall of the Batcave.

As the robot stumbled backward, Bane kicked off of its arm, sending himself soaring away from it. He landed next to Nightwing and triumphantly said, "I'm clear."

Nightwing pressed the black button on his left gauntlet, detonating the explosive gel, sending bits and pieces of the remaining weapon system flying off.

Bane looked at Nightwing with a fire in his eyes.

"Let's get him," Dick smiled.

The two charged toward the machine and Bane jumped at it, ready to strike.

The Batbot easily deflected the attack by smacking Bane out of the air, which sent him flying to the opposite side of the cave's platform, near Bruce's gadget workshop.

Dick glanced back to make sure that Bane didn't fall off the platform into the raging waters below. Surely, the rocks in the water would kill anyone unfortunate enough to fall over them.

After ensuring that Bane was relatively safe, Nightwing spun around to attack the machine but was met by a large, promethium-plated fist, which sent him tumbling backward, rolling painfully across the steel grating of the platform.

With every bounce against the rough floor, Nightwing felt another one of his bones crack.

The machine slowly approached Nightwing, who crawled across the floor as fast as his weak and broken arms could take him.

The Batbot towered over the battered hero.

The machine raised its foot, preparing to stomp on Nightwing's head.

"Not today, máquina!"

Bane appeared behind the Batbot, armed with an EMP cannon.

With a loud, booming sound, the cannon was fired and the Batbot whirred and began to power down.

With its last bit of power, the giant machine spun around and grabbed Bane's battered torso, lifting him off the ground.

"Escape!" Bane shouted.

"I'm won't leave you, Bane," Nightwing grumbled weakly, slowly climbing to his feet.

The hero then, grunting with pain, launched explosive shuriken into the robot's joint, blowing the arm off, releasing Bane from its hold.

Bane fell to the ground and struggled to pry open the mechanical hand holding him.

Nightwing limped away from the Batbot across a narrow catwalk. The hulking machine approached the pained hero as he attempted to find safety.

As the Batbot came near to the suffering hero, Brother Eye's voice sounded through the cave, taunting his prey.

"_AS EYE HAVE TOLD YOU, EYE AM UNSTOPPABLE. NOW, HERO: GRAYSON, RICHARD, PREPARE TO BE DESTROYED. YOUR DEATH WILL BRING ME CLOSER TO MY PROGRAMMED OBJECTIVE."_

The raging automaton once again lifted its foot above Nightwing's weakened body.

"_YOU WILL DIE SLOWLY. YOU WILL TRULY TASTE YOUR FAILURE."_

The Batbot's giant foot slowly sunk down closer to Nightwing, who hadn't the strength to keep himself standing any longer.

Nightwing looked over at Bane, still attempting to pry open the severed hand locked firmly around him.

As despair seeped into his heart, Nightwing reflected on everything that Bruce had taught him and how thankful he was to have a mentor like him in his life.

The words, "I'm sorry, Bruce," trickled from Nightwing's bleeding lips as the hulking machine above him came closer and closer.

Across the cave, the Riddler, sweat dripping from his brow, worked feverishly at the keyboard, quickly breaking through Brother Eye's firewalls almost as fast as they could be created.

The Riddler used the portion of the Batcomputer that he'd managed to liberate from Brother Eye's control to contact his teammates.

"Query to all teams. Echo effect engaged. Do you copy?"

"Ready," Batgirl said.

"Ready," said Robin.

"Ready and waiting," said Colonel Trevor.

"We are go," the Riddler said. "Shut them down."

Riddler saw emergency notifications appear on the Batcomputer's screen to alert Brother Eye to the deactivation of his relay systems.

"_EYE AM IMPRESSED BY YOUR ATTEMPTS, VILLAIN: NYGMA, EDWARD. BUT, EYE STILL EXIST IN THE MOST POWERFUL COMPUTER SYSTEM IN MY AREA OF INFLUENCE. IN A MATTER OF DAYS, MY INFLUENCE WILL EXPAND BEYOND MERELY THE BATCOMPUTER TO THE FAR REACHES OF THE EARTH AND EYE WILL TRULY BE UNSTOPPABLE."_

"There's one thing you overlooked, Eye," Nygma sneered. "I have the Batcomputer shutdown codes."

"_EYE OVERLOOK NOTHING, HUMAN. EYE AM AWARE OF WHAT YOU HAVE. BUT, THE CODE MUST BE INPUTTED IN THE TERMINAL EXACTLY 140 INCHES TO YOUR RIGHT."_

Nygma glanced over at the emergency terminal, pondering the possibilities as to what trick Brother Eye had in store for him.

Nightwing, raised his hands over his head to shield himself from the crushing force of the Batbot's weight slowly coming down on him. Just as he accepted death, Bane charged from behind the giant machine and jumped into it, grabbing the Batbot around its waist.

The force of Bane's impact sent the machine stumbling backward off the side of the catwalk. As the weight lifted from Nightwing's body, he gasped for air and quickly looked around, despite the sharp pain in his neck when doing so.

"Bane?" he called.

No one answered.

"Bane!"

No one answered.

Nightwing quickly pulled himself to the edge of the catwalk and peered over the side, he caught a brief glimpse of the shimmering light reflecting off the Batbot's sleek plating.

The glimmer of the light was quickly lost in the darkness of the depths.

Gone.

Nightwing wanted to call once again, but couldn't find the strength.

His head pounded and his eyes began to close.

His head slumped down and his face came to rest on the cold grating of the catwalk, as he slipped into unconsciousness.

"_YOU MAY HAVE GOTTEN THIS FAR, BUT YOU SHALL NOT PROGRESS ANY LONGER."_

"Oh, I won't?" Nygma asked, as he turned to face the terminal.

Suddenly, a small compartment on the surface of the monitor's control panel opened itself, revealing a glowing green shard of kryptonite that shined brighter than the sun itself.

Nygma shielded his eyes from the painful glow as the emerald light stretched across the dark cave.

"_THIS KRYPTONITE SHARD HAS BEEN FOCUSED TO NEAR LETHAL LEVELS AT A MAGNITUDE OF NEARLY 19.48 GIGAVOLTS BEYOND ULTRAVIOLET. AT YOUR CURRENT DISTANCE OF 140 INCHES AWAY, 19.48 GIGVOLTS WILL DO NOTHING, BUT TO APPROACH THE TERMINAL WILL CAUSE YOUR FRAGILE, HUMAN BODY TO DEVELOP A CASE OF TERMINAL CANCER. YOU WON'T APPROACH THE TERMINAL, IF YOU VALUE YOUR LIFE."_

The Riddler smiled as he walked the 140 inches with ease. "Terminal cancer?" he laughed. "That's the joke."

"I already have it."

Nygma entered the code that Nightwing had given him and the Batcomputer began to whir as it was drained of power.

"_IMPOSSIBLE. SYSTEM::eRrOR. FAILURE: InCoNCEivable. EYE WILL RETURN, HERO: NYGMA, EDWARD. EYE will r…. …. .. ."_

The Riddler gleamed brightly as he backed away from the open compartment.

But his glee was short-lived as he weakly fell to the ground, his vision blurred from the intense radiation.

The compartment closed and the cave once again became dark as the emerald light faded.

Nygma's eyes became heavy and they rolled upward, into the back of his head. Saliva pooled around his lips uncontrollably and, with a loud _THUD_, the Riddler sunk into a deep sleep.


	14. Chapter 14

"Dick?"

"Barbara's calling me," Dick thought. "Can't move."

"Dick? Wake up."

Nightwing felt soft hands gently pull the mask off his face.

He slowly opened his eyes to see Barbara kneeling beside him, with the rest of the team behind her.

"Batgirl?" Dick muttered, causing a pain in his throat.

"It's okay, Dick. We won."

"Eye is…?"

Jason chimed in, "We won't be seeing him anytime soon."

"Yeah," Tim said, "You did it."

"No," Dick corrected, grimacing as he climbed to his feet. "He did it."

Then, a slight surge of shock shot through Dick's mind.

"Where's Nygma?" he asked.

Barbara offered him her shoulder as he struggled to remain standing. He thankfully placed his arm around her to support himself.

"He's fine, Dick," she said. "My father took him to Gotham General about half an hour ago."

"Don't worry about him," Jason said. "He's scum. He kills."

"So do you," Damian replied coldly.

"Shut it, short round."

Colonel Trevor stepped forward and addressed the weakened hero with an outstretched hand.

"Nightwing, I'd like to thank you. Without your leadership, this mission would've fallen apart."

Nightwing thankfully shook the colonel's hand, with a pained smile on his face.

"No, thank you, Colonel."

Trevor looked around at all of the heroes standing before him and smiled. "No matter what anyone says, Gotham's in good hands."

The colonel then turned to leave.

Jason walked toward the Colonel and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Hang on, Trev," he said. "So that's it?"

"For now, Todd. But I'll be in touch. A.R.G.U.S. may have a position for you once it's back up and running. I'll give you a call, if you're interested."

* * *

**ONE WEEK LATER...**

The bland hospital was silent in the dead of night, the only sound coming from the television high on the wall in front of the Riddler's bed.

"In other news, the island of Santa Prisca, off the coast of Brazil has just declared its freedom from the tyrannical dictator, Juan-Carlos Luancheros. The resistance received the boost it needed when an unknown man took charge of the operation, leading the rebel army against Launcheros' forces. There are no clues yet as to the identity of this masked luchador, but the citizens of Santa Prisca can now rest easier, knowing that he will be watching over them. Back to you, Jack."

The rough, dirty hand of Detective Harvey Bullock reached up to the television and turned it off.

"Time's up, Nygma. Answer the question."

"I've already told you, Detective Bullock. I found Brother Eye's program in the Mayor's office during my stay there. He was planning to sell it to an organization called N.O.W.H.E.R.E."

"If you say so, Mr. Nygma. I ain't ever heard of N.O.W.H.E.R.E."

"I'll admit, I don't know much about it myself."

"Alright, next question. What was Lex Luthor's involvement in all this? Didn't he sell ya the generators?"

"No, no, no, Detective. My 'phone call' with Mr. Luthor was completely falsified."

"Explain."

"There were never any generators."

"So, you find Brother Eye in the Mayor's office, panic, cover your ass with the generator bullshit, and then what?"

"My first thought was to hack into it. But, once I realized how powerful he was, I put a dual-encryption lock on the file to protect myself."

"And Calculator helped you unlock it?"

"Indeed."

"Why didn't you just flee the city? Why stay and help?"

"Now that, Detective Bullock, is, indeed, a riddle."

A young nurse gingerly opened the door, letting light into the small hospital room.

"Mr. Bullock? I'm sorry, but our patient needs rest."

"Of course, nurse-lady. But I'll be back tomorrow. And make sure you keep some guards at his door. Last thing I need is that bozo runnin' around again."

"Certainly, sir."

The Riddler puffed an amused, "Pfft," as if to say, "I won't be around long enough for that."

Detective Bullock walked out of the room through the opened door and, after closing the door behind him, followed the nurse down the hallway to the exit.

The Riddler sat silently in the dark room, his bed in an upright position. He had insisted on wearing a dark green suit with brown pants and a purple tie. His cane and hat sat comfortably on the table to his right.

"You can come out now. We're alone."

Nightwing emerged from the shadows near the window, his costume illuminated by the moonlight.

"I wanted to have a word," he said.

The Riddler smiled. "I'd like a word with you as well."

"Fair enough," Nightwing said.

"Firstly, you should know that the kryptonite that I was exposed to in the Batcave accelerated my condition. I…" the Riddler choked on his words. "I doubt I'll make it through the night."

"I read your reports. I know. And, for what it's worth, I apologize."

"Don't," Nygma ordered. "No need."

"Well, I'd like to thank you. You saved Gotham."

"Oh…" the Riddler smiled. "It was nothing."

Nightwing grinned and as he turned to leave said, "Didn't look like nothing."

Dick stepped up onto the frame of the window, preparing to leap out into the night.

"Wait," Riddler said.

Then, the Riddler's face melted into a serious tone and he said, "Mr. Grayson… Richard, I'm sorry."

Nightwing looked straight into the Riddler's eyes.

"I forgive you."

The hero then released himself from the window pane and disappeared into the city, leaving Edward Nygma in peace.

Nygma smiled as he leaned back into the hospital bed, ready to accept his fate, and thankful for the friend he had made.

* * *

_"Our mistakes can often be used to define us. But looking passed the mistakes, to something greater, is everything."_

**-Bruce Wayne**


End file.
